Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

Dr. Kaye is one of Cleveland's contact lens experts and we have him at Skyvision Centers! We asked him about contact lens trends, both for comfort and safety as well as KICKIN' vision. Here's what he had to say:

"The big news is all about daily wear, one-day disposable contact lenses. I'm finding that the comfort level our patients are experiencing is fantastic. I really like the safety and convenience you get from simply pitching the lenses at the end of the day. There are none of the problems that we all see from sleeping in the lens, and the contacts never get a chance to build up deposits or other things that can make you allergic. On top of that they cost less than a dollar a day!

We've had good luck with a number of brands. Recently I've been fitting lots of patients with the Pro-Clear Dailies. Great vision results! At this time of year we have lots of athletes coming in to prepare for the summer and everyone who is a candidate for these lenses is just seeing GREAT!"

Do you wear soft contact lenses? Visit Skyvision Centers and let our expert, Dr. Kaye, fit you with the latest Daily Disposable soft contact lenses!

Cleveland "Spring" and the Rhythm of Life

Wow! We know it's a cliche, but how about our Cleveland weather?! Have you ever seen so much rain? Have you ever gone that long in Cleveland with that little sunshine? We laughed when we saw a Tweet from a patient who thanked Seatle for visiting, but could they please take their lousy weather back to the Pacific Northwest! (Look for us on Twitter @drdarrellwhite and @Skyvisioncenter).

It seemed like everyone around Skyvision Centers was a little down and blue in March and April so we got to wondering how the eye is involved in our daily rhythm (Circadian Rhythm), and how our eyes are part of the light cycle that can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder--the blues from the blizzards and the gray skies.

The retina contains the photoreceptors we all learned about in high school, the Rods and the Cones. These are the cells that react to light and send information to the back of our brain where we actually "see". Think of the eye as the "image collector", kind of like a digital camera or the Hubble Space Telescope. The light information collected by the Rods and the Cones goes directly to the vision center of the brain.

There is a third light sensitive cell or photoreceptor in the retina, the Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (pRGC). These were just discovered in the 1990's! Kind of unreal to think we are still making such fundamental discoveries about anatomy of the eye. These pRGC's also react to light, but they do NOT send information to the vision center of the brain. Instead, these cells are responsible for the reaction of our pupils to light (the pupil gets SMALLER in bright light). They also send information to the part of the brain called the Hypothalmus which is responsible for our daily light/dark rhythm. The pRGC's respond most vigorously to light in the blue/violet color range, and if they don't "see" enough WE can get the blues!

So there's the science behind light and mood. Check back and we'll tell you how some people use this information to fight the blahs and the blues.

Vision ReDesigned: Vision Rehab

We are approaching the dawn of a new era in healthcare in the United States as the first of the Baby Boom generation turns 65. There are some 65 Million Americans entering older adulthood, and we can expect that they will have many of the same issues and problems we've seen in prior generations. Thankfully our technology advances will help us guide them through this stage with as little difficulty as possible.

Skyvision Centers is the premier "patient-centered" medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. It is arguably the first of its kind anywhere in the U.S. We are constantly seeking to provide whatever is necessary to enhance the vision and protect the eye health of our patients. We expect that the Baby Boom generation will be very interested in maximizing their visual lives for as long as possible, despite any diseases that may get in the way.

As part of our "Vision ReDesigned(R)" prgrams we will be adding a Vision Rehabilitation service later this year. One of our core offerings will be RevitalVision to improve your ability to use every last bit of vision your eyes can provide. In addition, we will have a full offering of visual assistance tools, and we will have caring, experience professionals to guide you through the learning process.

You can look to Skyvision to See What's Next!

The Kaenons Have Arrived!

Hooray! On the first sunny Cleveland day in about 4 months (just kidding!) we are announcing the arrivial of Kaenon Sunglasses at Skyvision Centers! Kaenon is a new, high tech company started by two former Oakley execs and they have some FANTASTIC stuff.

The doctors at Skyvision are all about VISION. First and foremost Drs. White, Schlegel, and Kaye want to know how well any lens will let you see. The optics and optical quality of any lens is the primary thing we look at when we decide to carry any type of eyewear. Then we look at function: how will these sunglasses work when our patients use them for everyday wear or for special purposes?

Kaenon passes ALL of our tests!

So come on in to Skyvision Centers flagship office in Westlake, just across from Crocker Park, and check out our selection of Kaenon sunglasses. See why Dr. White is adding them to his "quiver" and why his son, Randy White the Crossfit Kids trainer, is negotiating a sponsorship deal.

Kaenon Sunwear is part of our "Vision ReDesigned" program!

A Note of Thanks

The doctors and staff at Skyvision Centers would like to offer our sincere thanks and congratulations to the brave American servicemen who ended the scourge that was Osam bin Laden. Oorah to the men of Seal Team 6! Oorah to the pilots and crew in the Nightstalkers who flew them in and out! Oorah to the members of the CIA and the intelligence community at large for tracking down this villain!

We commend President Obama and former President Bush for their tireless efforts to avenge our loss and to keep all Americans safe.

God Bless America!

RevitalVision and Macular Degeneration: How Does It Work?

We are always trying to find new and better ways to help our patients see. Our goal is to provide the best experience you can possibly have while achieving the best vision you can attain. We strive every day to be the best place in all of Cleveland to receive your eyecare.

As part of our quest we are not only constantly on the search for new programs and products, but we are also continuously testing existing things to see if they can help MORE people in MORE ways. An example is RevitalVision. Dr. White had a meeting with some of the executives and scientists at RevitalVision last year and shared his opinion that their program would help people with early stages of macular degeneration. A recent study report from Israel confirms Dr. White's prediction!

How would this work? Well, we know that RevitalVision's programs produce an improvement in vision of around 1.5-2 lines lower, or better, on an eye chart. We also know that it will improve contrast sensitivity, how sharp and crisp your vision is, by a factor of at least 2 -- a doubling of sharpness. This change is permanent and will always allow an individual with decreasing eye health to see better than they would have otherwise. Think just for a minute how huge it would  be if you had slipped to 20/50 and couldn't get a license, but after RevitalVision training your were back to 20/30 or so?!

Look to us at Skyvision to not only bring the latest developments in vision and eyecare to Cleveland, but also to make them better!

Exercise: Medicine For Your Brain!

As you know by now, Dr. White is a HUGE exercise buff. In fact he just completed all of the course work and passed his test and is now a full-fledged Crossfit Trainer! Here's an article he's like to share about the brain health benefits from exercise. By the way, this is a big part of the science background underlying the teaching methods in Crossfit Kids.
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Exercise - long known to promote heart and bone health, among other benefits - increases the growth of brain cells and improves brain function, according to research reviewed today at the American College of Sports Medicine's 15th-annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition.


Terry Eckmann, Ph.D., briefed attendees on recent findings, saying the protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is "like Miracle-Gro for the brain." BDNF, Eckmann explained, helps to grow new neurons in the hippocampus and helps the transmission of information across the synapses (or connections) between neurons.

Fueling these enhanced brain processes, quite literally, are elevated levels of oxygen and glucose which the cardiovascular system - strengthened by exercise - can deliver to the brain. The brain uses about 20 percent of the body's oxygen and glucose.

Scientists have also found that repetitive gross motor movement strengthens the branching of dendrites, which conduct electrochemical stimulation among neurons. "Dendrites receive messages from surrounding brain neurons, and the more dendrites, the more information can be transmitted and stored," said Eckmann.

Recent studies show that students with higher fitness levels score higher on academic tests and show an improved ability to focus. Scientists have also documented the ability of exercise to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"Exercise is medicine and can make a difference in disease prevention and management."
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So make sure you get up off your couch and MOVE! You don't have to do Crossfit, but you may want to give that some thought. Heck, even Charles Barkley is now on the Crossfit bandwagon!